Category Archives: Grains

I really like cornbread. There is just something about ending a cold day with a bowl of hot stew, chili, or soup and a side of cornbread.

When I was really young that meant opening a box of Jiffy corn muffin mix and as I got older my family transitioned to Marie Callender’s cornbread mix. Let’s just say that Marie set the bar pretty stinkin’ high…that stuff is gooood!!!

When we found out that my daughter needed to go gluten-free I began purchasing pre-packaged gluten-free cornbread mixes and I have to say that I have just been tolerating them. In my opinion I have yet to come across one that is good. The mixes I have purchased through the years tend to be bland and DRY.

I finally decided to tackle the gluten-free cornbread monster and came-up with a recipe that I am really happy with. The muffins taste like corn and honey and they are nice and moist. To top it off there is no refined sugar and these moist muffins have NO OIL!!!

A while back I discovered that I was allergic to oats. Major bummer. I have always really enjoyed oatmeal and granola (not to mention oatmeal raisin cookies!!!).

I still regularly make Maple Almond Granola with my kids and the last time I made it with my daughter I decided I was going to try and make some oat-free gluten-free granola for myself. I am happy to report that it worked!

While the granola did not clump together like a traditional granola would, the flavor is great and the granola is good and crispy just like I like it!

“My childhood in Sicily was spent splattering colors or sketching on anything at hand and getting dirty with clay or gypsum. Soon though, TV chefs motivated me to take advantage of the free kitchen in those few afternoons that I was left alone at home. I can still remember the first gooey meringues I prepared; perched on top of a silver presentoir, over a delicately embroidered white linen napkin, they waited on the kitchen table for my parents’ return, a token of gratitude for what they did and will be doing for me.It wasn’t until I moved to Florence, in 1997, for University that I found myself in charge of my own food. The big city meant exposure to foreign food, new ingredients, new inspirations that fed my ever increasing curiosity. Soon all my house-mates relied on me for their dinners.”

I really like eggplant and am always looking for new ways to prepare it.

My mom’s name is Francis and she had Italian as one of her majors in college

It was simply meant to be.

I made the recipe according to the instructions below from The Recipe Taster’s website, with the exception of the olive oil. I used the tiniest amount to grease the bottom of the casserole and did not drizzle any more oil onto the casserole. What resulted was a casserole which was a bit dry looking on top after baking, but that was easily remedied by mixing the casserole prior to serving…you won’t even miss the oil and your heart will thank you!

MOM FRANCESCA’S EGGPLANT and ONION CASSEROLE

Ingredients (serve 4-6 people):

300g onions, mixed red and yellow

600g eggplant, about 2 medium ones

45g/1/4cup quinoa

red pepper flakes, to taste (optional)

dried oregano, to taste

1 small can chopped tomatoes in juice

extra virgin olive oil (I barely used any)

1/3 cup white wine

salt

Method:

Set your oven to 200C/390F and while it is eating up prepare the vegetables.

Trim the stem and flower ends from the eggplants and cut them into 3-4 drums across their length. Lay the drums cut side down and cut them vertically into planks about 5 mm/1/5″ thick and set aside.

Peel the onions, cut them in half and then into slices about 3mm/1/10″ thick.

To build the casserole, chose an oven-proof dish that could accommodate the ingredients in at least 2 layers.

Grease the bottom of the dish with about 1/2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil (I used about 1/2 of that), place some of the onions on it followed by the eggplants (if the pieces are too wide to fit in, tear them in halves using your hands). Sprinkle the eggplants with some of the quinoa and salt. Add a pinch of oregano, red pepper flakes (if using). Cover with some of the tomato pieces.

Continue layering the ingredients as described until either the oven dish is filled up or the ingredients run out.

Finish the casserole with a layer of onions a sprinkle of salt and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

Pour the white wine over the vegetables and bake the casserole for about 1h-1h30m or until cooked through. To test for doneness try a piece of eggplant, it should still retain some bite but must be cooked through. Check the casserole every now and then and if the top is browning too fast, cover it with a piece of aluminum foil.

Baked Casserole Prior to Mixing

Baked Casserole AFTER Mixing

Let the casserole cool down a bit before serving since it will be boiling hot. Coincidentally, this dish is great even served at room temperature.

It has been a busy few weeks. The kids and I made the trek up to my parent’s house in Santa Cruz for our Nana and Papa time. We had a lot of fun at the Boardwalk, exploring new beaches, and hiking to the amazing natural pool pictured above (It is called the Garden of Eden).

We also took a ride on the Roaring Camp Railroad which I hadn’t done in years. The picture below is of my kiddos and parents on the railroad.

We headed from my parent’s house straight over to my sister and brother-in-law’s house near Tahoe for some serious cousin time before the school year and crazy schedules began.

We had a fantastic time and capped it all off with some tubing on Lake Tahoe (That’s my sister and I below…we screamed like little girls!) before making the LONG roadtrip home (It was so worth it).

Prior to going on the trip I had just finished my 80-10-10 trial and was all gung-ho to continue eating grain-free. I managed to do so through our stay at my parent’s house and then began eating grains at my sister’s house. Guess what…I felt great! No bloating, no problems. I did remain gluten-free though. Maybe my body just needed a reset and the 80/10/10 did that for me.

Bottom line, I plan on eating what feels right (vegan and gluten-free…with the exception of some egg whites from time to time), and I will play the grain thing by ear. I don’t feel like restricting myself or labeling myself grain-free. When I want them and they digest well, I will have them.

AND now the BIG NEWS. We have a new member of our family.

Meet “Dug.”

Could my kids possibly be MORE excited??? To be fair, my grin was just as big.

Dug will be 11 weeks old on Wednesday and is seriously the cutest Goldendoodle we have ever seen (Think we are biased???)

This recipe was created prior to learning about my oat allergy. While I loved how this recipe turned-out, my body did not. That being said, if your body does not have any issues with oats, this pudding is for you…it is healthy, lowfat, and free of processed sugar.

——————————————————————————————————-

Trying Wayfare’s puddings at this years Natural Products Expo West inspired this recipe. I like the idea of using whole grains to thicken pudding since they are essential to a healthy diet and also health-promoting. What’s better than that? This pudding is so healthy that I will let my kids eat it for breakfast… after all it is made out of oats. Hurray for healthy desserts!!!

If you are not a fan of almond extract…go ahead and leave it out. You will love the chocolaty results.

INGREDIENTS

1 cup gluten-free old fashioned oats2 cups filtered water1/2 cup So Delicious Creamer1 cup So Delicious unsweetened coconut milk1/2 cup cocoa powder6 stevia packets6 dates1 tsp vanilla2 tsp almond extract**Feel free to substitute other flavorings, i.e. mint, raspberry, orange…but start with 1/2 tsp and work your way up from there. I have not tried any others, so I am not sure how much of each to use.

Place the oatmeal and filtered water in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat. Once it reaches a boil, turn the heat down to low and allow the oats to simmer until thickened. Once the oats have thickened, turn off the heat and place the lid on the saucepan. Let the oats sit for 10 minutes.

Once the oats have thickened, place them in your high-speed blender (I use a Vitamix) with the remaining ingredients. Allow the mixture to blend for a full 3 minutes, stopping to scrape down the sides as needed (I know it’s a long time…trust me on this). Once the 3 minutes are up, CAREFULLY remove the lid since the pudding will be VERY HOT!!!

Pour the hot pudding into a glass tupperware and allow it to cool to room temperature before placing it in the fridge to set.

I couldn’t for the life of me come-up with an interesting name for this meal, but that doesn’t mean that this meal doesn’t rock…because it does. This salad in a pepper bowl covers all the bases; protein, complex carbs, and vitamins galore not to mention the fact that you eat the bowl…no dishes!!!

A few weeks ago I was talking to my daughter’s Kindergarten teacher after school about food and recipes…an almost daily occurance between the two of us (my daughter knows to keep playing when we get on the subject of food, because we are GUARANTEED to be there for a long while) and she mentioned that the last time she was at Trader Joe’s they made a yummy salad by mixing together pre-cooked lentils and bruschetta. Um, yum!

I think I might be single-handedly responsible for purchasing all of Trader Joe’s bruschetta. While I can make my own, this product has saved me so much time and the flavor is amazing. What is NOT amazing is the amount of olive oil they add to it. Rest-assured, I have a solution for this problem. When I buy the bruschetta I put it in the coldest part of my fridge for a day and all of the olive oil floats to the top and solidifies a bit making it quite easy to skim-off and throw in the trash can (better the trash can than my arteries!).

I have been eating this like crazy and it is now a staple in my fridge. I took the liberty of adding some rice to the salad and really enjoy the results.

My how time flies! Somehow it is already May and brochures have started coming in the mail for summer camps, etc. I don’t feel ready to plan the summer yet. I LOVE having my kiddos home with me, but I am sitting here wondering what the heck happened to winter??? Time needs to slow down a bit.

A new month means another Secret Recipe Club assignment and this month’s was a good one. I was assigned the blog, An Opera Singer in the Kitchen which got me all excited because I had already spent quite a bit of time surfing Noelle’s blog prior to even being assigned it. We both share similar food styles (she has a fondness for vegan food) and both of us are very into the health aspects of food, so this is a great pairing for me (Click HERE to learn more about Noelle).

When i sat down to make my final decision I was in a sweet / crunchy kind of mood and decided to make the recipe she posted for Peanut Butter Granola Barssince it looked so AMAZING. I have always loved peanut butter and I am a granola monster, so I knew this would be a winner. I had a truckload of gluten-free oats in the pantry, so I thought I was all set to make this recipe and then I found out…I am ALLERGIC TO OATS!!! I had been suspecting this for a while and during my last appointment with Dr. Galitzer I had him test me and he informed me that my body REALLY doesn’t like oats.

Despite my new found knowledge that I have an oat allergy, I was bound and determined to make this granola bar recipe because I had my heart set on it, so I lugged myself to Mother’s Market on a quest for quinoa flakes. When I got there I was pleasantly surprised to discover Eden Organic’s Short Grain Brown Rice Flakes (Roasted & Rolled). These puppies looked very similar to rolled oats. Score! They are harder than rolled oats, but that is easily rectified by adding a little bit of liquid. I made the recipe as listed below with my notes in red. The next time I make these granola bars (you’d better believe there will be a next time, and a next time, and a next time), I plan on adding 1/4-1/3 cup of liquid (water, fresh juice, nut-based milk) to soften the brown rice flakes even more.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit and line a medium baking sheet with parchment paper. Spray with coconut non-stick spray.

In a large bowl, mix dry ingredients.

In a small bowl add the peanut butter and the brown rice syrup. Place in microwave for 30 seconds (or heat in a saucepan on the stove over low heat…I would add the extra liquid at this point too).

Add the warmed wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix well until evenly distributed.

Pour the mixture on a lightly greased baking sheet or casserole dish. Pat until evenly distributed. I pressed the granola mixture down as evenly and flatly as I could and then placed an identical pan on top and pressed that down to compact it further and even it out as much as possible.

Bake for 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from oven and cool for 5-10 minutes. Using a knife, cut into 4×2 inch bars.

NOTE – I accidentally dropped the pan when I was flipping it onto the cutting board (oops!). The pieces that I couldn’t rescue and make into bars became granola. I broke them up into a pan and baked them for another 7-10 minutes…delicious!!!

Cool completely and then wrap individually in Saran Wrap or store in a glass container (glass mason jar works perfect for the granola.

I almost feel silly writing this post because this Spanish rice comes together so ridiculously easy, however my family has been raving about it so much that they told me I had to post about it.

On occasion we do eat white rice as a treat. Trader Joe’s sells a frozen organic Basmati rice that is really tasty and smells like popcorn (it tops my husband’s rice list). They also sell my favorite pre-made salsa, Serrano Salsa Fresca (In the refrigerated section by the hummus and bruschetta).

All you do to whip this up is cook the rice in the microwave with a small dollop of Earth Balance (please don’t microwave the rice in the plastic bags…transfer it to a bowl), and then when you take it out of the micro, mix in the serrano salsa to taste…that’s it!

I had been meaning to try cauliflower rice for a long time. I know people who follow the Paleo Diet swear by it, so a few days ago I FINALLY tried it.

The verdict? I like it. I took a head of organic cauliflower, chopped it up, and put it in the food processor (If the head of cauliflower is large, you may have to process it in two batches). I “pulsed” it until it resembled the texture of rice and it was done. Simple.

When dinner time rolled around I put the stir-fry I made over the raw cauliflower rice and it was surprisingly good. In the next few days I plan on trying to make my stand-by fried rice recipe with the cauliflower rice to see how it turns out. I don’t want the “rice” to get mushy, so I don’t plan on cooking it long at all.

Come to think of it, I think I need to share with you my fried rice recipe! Post to come soon…

In her post Margaret mentioned that the recipe made A LOT of rice pudding, so I halved the recipe. I also took her advice to pump-up the spice a bit. Since I wanted to veganize the recipe I made the following substitutions; maple syrup for honey and So Delicious unsweetened coconut milk for the cow’s milk. Lastly, I reduced the amount of sweetener (in my case maple syrup) because in general I do not like my desserts as sweet as most people do.

Life was a bit busy the day I decided to make the rice pudding, so I decided to take a chance and make it in my rice cooker vs. on the stove and then in the oven. The results were great! As my daughter would say, this recipe was easy peasy lemon squeezy.

In a separate bowl, combine the remaining ingredients and whisk to incorporate well.

Pour the mixture into the rice cooker over the Arborio rice and lightly stir.

Program the rice cooker to cook on the “brown rice” setting and press start.

When the rice cooker completes the brown rice cycle, simply mix the pumpkin pudding well and serve either warm or chilled. The picture immediately below is of the rice pudding prior to stirring and the bottom image is immediately after stirring.

If serving the pudding warm (my favorite way), top with non-dairy milk. If serving chilled, top with non-dairy whipped cream. I also love topping the pudding with some raisins.

Kitchen Gadgets I Love

My Fitness Faves

My Health Team

"The diet that helps to reduce weight in the short run needs to be the same diet that creates and maintains health in the long run."

~T. Colin Campbell

Disclaimer

The information on this Web site is designed for educational purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for informed medical advice or care. You should not use this information to diagnose or treat any health problems or illnesses without consulting your pediatrician or family doctor. Please consult a doctor with any questions or concerns you might have.